Library cleavage photo scandal costs government big

STATE library staff who had their breasts secretly photographed by a former library executive in 2012 have cost the Queensland Government "several hundred thousand dollars" in legal fees as it attempted to stop them taking action.

Fairfax Media is reporting the claims, made by a "senior source", as the government prepares to hand down a report into the illicit photographs taken by the State Library Queensland's former director corporate services Bruce MacGregor.

The photos were taken on an SLQ-supplied mobile phone.

Confidential settlements have been made with some staff, although tensions remain after it took four years for staff to be allowed to actually view the photos.

The scandal erupted with Mr MacGregor taking photos of women's cleavage at the library.

Almost 3000 images were found on the executive's work-supplied laptop that same year.

Mr MacGregor was not fired for the actions, but instead allowed to resign after taking sick leave.

His actions were exposed after a whistleblower reported Mr MacGregor after witnessing him take a photo down the shirt of a female solicitor.